So what were your thoughts when you heard about the study published in Pediatrics on August 9 that more than 1 in 10 girls in the United States have begun to develop breasts by the time they’re eight?
My thoughts:
1. I’d be pretty upset if I were eight years old and already developing breasts. As I remember it, second grade was a very good fashion year for me. I had super cute dresses that looked great without a bra.
2. It must be even more important to be sensitive to little girls who begin to develop breasts this early. At that age, any breast size would seem enormous. Imagine how horrifying it would be to hear from a well-meaning (?) and well-endowed aunt: “I didn’t start growing until I was eleven. You’re going to be huge!”
3. If your daughter needed a bra before she turned ten, what would you add to the first-bra shopping tips that I mentioned in January? I’d want to meet ahead of time with the fitter to prepare her not to say anything that would make my daughter feel like a freak. I would want her to tell my daughter about other little girls who had come in for a fitting. And I would buy my daughter the prettiest little bra available, one that she could brag about and show off to her friends.
4. Of course, just because a girl develops breasts at an early age doesn’t mean she’ll be large-breasted (but I’d love to see if there’s a correlation). I began developing with the rest of the pack. I just didn’t stop! And I know some of you were late-bloomers who just kept blooming!
(Nothing after the jump.)
